Yesterday’s study of Ephesians 3 left us contemplating the mystery of God’s will, as revealed in Christ. Day 5 feels so full and rich in our minds, as God continues to work among us at EQUIP Boot Camp.

We’re not going to sugarcoat things: it was a pretty heavy day for us all. Even in that place, there were things that every person could point to and recognize as the grace of God towards us.

It started with a reflective time of testimony and worship. Then class came and we began to see that, though we are in a battle, the Lord is fighting for us and for these students’ hearts too.

God gave victory after victory through our time in the Word, submitting ourselves to the work of studying and reasoning together with Him (Isaiah 1:18). We praise Him for all that He is doing, as the students and staff continue to persevere and present ourselves before Him who is the Word of life and light!

One of the fun things (in addition to sports) that happens daily is during the time right after lunch, and right before lights out. We call it room time.

Room time is so much more than a place for naps, teeth-brushing, and showering (though those are all important)! It’s a home where the students and their staffer can talk openly, pray, confess, hope, share, question, challenge, and sometimes cry together. It’s a place where they are all seen, heard, and cared for. Though we do have specific goals and desires for that time, “fellowship together in the light as He is in the light” is about as concise as we can communicate it (1 John 1:7)

To be honest, there were quite a few moments yesterday mixed in with the victories where the staff were overwhelmed with care and concern for their campers. Quite a few tears were shed too, as staff stole a few minutes after this meal or before that activity to pray with other staff and/or leadership for a camper (or just campers in general) — for wisdom, to give God the control, to hope in the Shaper of hearts and cry out for His intervention.

God showed up so obviously in the main session last night! He gave the students a seemingly supernatural interest in what Kay was teaching, and some of what she said was hard to hear! She challenged and exhorted them to consider the kingdom of darkness and light, who the fathers of each are, which they belong to and imitate.

As Kay was talking about being in the kingdom of darkness, all but the emergency lights in the building went out. It was not at all a dramatic effect that we intended. A storm was going on outside, and it apparently hit multiple buildings on campus at once. Kay continued talking though, and exhorted us “you’re sitting in darkness right now, but those who are in darkness will see a great light.”

At the moment the word “light” came out of Kay’s mouth, all the lights came back on instantly. We made it clear to the campers after the service that we had nothing to do with the timing…because our sound/light/media guy wasn’t even in the sound booth/room when it happened. The evening ended in a serious, silent, and reverent place as we all contemplated why God brought each of us specifically to camp.

Please pray for us all today, that we would be willing to walk through whatever He has for us and the Lord will be glorified. Pray for those wrestling and that the heaviness of camp would lead us all to depend on Jesus completely.

Pray for the study of Ephesians 4, that we would see the shift in the letter from WHO we are to HOW we walk as something that can ONLY be accomplished in Christ.